Fox Dens and Rabbit Trails: Christmas in Bunnyburrow
by Omnitrix 12
Summary: It's Christmas Eve in Zootopia, and Nick has agreed to spend the day with Judy's family - but has he bitten off more than he can chew? How will they react to him? How will he react to their food? How will Judy keep her siblings in line, and how valid is her promise not to prank Nick for the entire day? All that and more Holiday Hijinks, right here! art by Daraemonbasil from DA.
1. Good (?) Morning

**Okay, so quick lead-in for those of you who haven't read my first Zootopia fic, "Something Stinks," this is not a direct sequel to that, though it involves a character of mine, Taelia, who is covered in a lot more detail in SS. In this story, Nick is most of the way through the academy (I understand police academy training can take between six and nine months, and I decided to go with the long haul), and he and Taelia are dating (which I did so Judy could pick on both of them about their relationship; see chapter four).**

 **And now, without further delay...**

" **It's a shark, and it ain't friendly! It looks like a dolphin. Tricky fish! Tricky fish!"**

 **Pleakley, _Lilo and Stitch_**

A light snow fell outside as the bullet train sped past the city limits of Zootopia, carrying an assortment of animals out to the countryside. The upper level, which would not very well accommodate any passenger more than five feet tall, was more packed than usual. Many parents of larger species had allowed – or strongly urged – their youngsters to head topside where they might better enjoy the view, not get stepped on, and give their elders a brief respite (not necessarily in that order). Also there were many who lived and worked in the city most of the year, but who were heading out to spend Christmas Eve and perhaps a day or two after with family in the outlying buroughs.

One of these was Judy Hopps, accompanied – somewhat reluctantly – by her friend Nick Wilde. On break from the police academy, Nick had planned to spend some time visiting his girlfriend Taelia and her family. Judy's parents, however, had been dropping hints since before Thanksgiving that she should bring a guest, so she had finally broken down and convinced Nick to come. She had even promised him that there would be no pranks for the duration of the visit – a rare enough opportunity, where she was concerned, to persuade him to renege on prior plans. Not that he made that choice without _some_ regrets.

"I did mention that I saw her returning mistletoe later, right?" Nick asked for about the sixth time.

"I know," Judy replied. The first time he'd told her, she'd tried to let him back out, but he'd already tried that with Taelia and they nearly had a fight over it. That vixen was nice, but she could be a bit tempermental at times.

Nick thumbed through Judy's phone, which she had converted into a vast collection of snapshots of her family. It had taken her most of the previous night to put in names for all of them, hoping that Nick would make a better impression if he knew some of them by name. After all, they'd have no trouble singling him out.

Unfortunately, nearly all of them looked alike to him. "You know," he pointed out, "I don't think your parents will mind if I don't know everyone's names. It's not like I'm their future son-in-law or anything, right?"

Judy said nothing, and Nick grew uncomfortable. _Maybe she's just zoned out,_ he thought, like a stranded swimmer hoping that an approaching fin belonged to a dolphin instead of a shark. "Carrots?" he persisted, waving a paw in front of her face.

She looked up at him sheepishly. "Uh, Nick, I _might_ have forgotten to mention something."

Nick smacked himself in the face. _I gave up mistletoe with Taelia for this!_ he thought. "Okay," he implored, spreading his paws with the pads up, "please tell me you did not tell your parents I was your boyfriend."

"Well, did I tell them we were dating? No. No I did not."

 _Great. Now she's a comedienne,_

"It's just that when my parents encouraged me to bring a friend along, there was this subtle tone in their voices that-"

Nick handed the phone back to her. "I'm not talking with you," he said icily, walking through the crowd to the other end of the car.

She chased after him. "Nick, Nick, please," she begged. "I promised no pranks on _you._ I didn't say anything about them."

The fox retaliated with a loud, off-key rendition of 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.'

 _'Lot like Curtains' is more like it,_ thought Judy. "Nick, I promise, I'll make this as painless as possible – and I'll make it up to you."

He pretended not to hear her at first, then clasped his paws behind his back. "And just how do you plan on doing that?" he asked.

Fortunately, Judy never pulled a hustle without ammunition. "Remember when you said you wished you had a shot of Bellwether's face back in the museum?" she asked, holding up her phone.

* * *

By the time she sold him on the plan – promising not only a full photo collection of the prank but also a four-course dinner for him and Taelia come New Year's – they had gotten off the train. Nick had a sneaking suspicion that Judy had worked extra-hard to sell him on the plan before that point, for the young buck who greeted them – clearly Judy's brother based on the similar markings – wasn't the least bit surprised to see his sister in the company of a fox.

"A fellow conspirator?" asked Nick, glancing at his friend.

"Nick, meet – wait, let's see if you can guess. He was in my phone."

"Along with half of the Bunny Burrow phone book, I'll bet," Nick replied.

Judy rolled her eyes. "If you know everyone in the city, this should be no problem. Come on, Junior Detective."

Nick raised his paws. "Okay, if you're going to get everyone calling me that, I'm going to Taelia's right now."

Judy's brother raised his paws in turn. "Secret's safe with me," he promised.

The fox turned his dubious emerald eyes on Judy. She raised her paws.

"Hey, I promised no pranking on Christmas, and that includes putting my family up to anything. I promise, today it's just Nick. Now, who's he?" She pointed to her brother.

Nick studied the buck. "Let's see... Shamus?"

"Nope."

"Uh, Rick?"

"Wrong."

"Jacko?"

"Nobody in our family by that name."

Nick groaned. "Rumplestiltskin?"

The buck just laughed. "If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that..."

"You'd be the richest mammal in Zootopia," Nick finished. He studied the rabbit's face as hard as he could and made another guess.

"Alex."

The rabbit nodded. "Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Oh, and don't call me Alexander. Mammals get us mixed up."

With the guessing game (finally!) over, they climbed into the car. Judy offered to drive, and Alex opted to nap in the back. "Sorry if I don't offer much conversation, but I was up half the night making sure everything was ready."

"Ready for what?" asked Nick warily.

"Christmas, silly," Judy teased.

The fox simply rolled his eyes as Judy started humming along with the radio, which had just begun to play Aaron Kautippin's rendition of, 'Christmastime Down South.'Not for the first time (and not for the last, he suspected), he wondered just what he had let himself in for.

Half an hour later, Nick was once again looking through Judy's pictures. The more he looked, the more alike the rabbits all looked to him.

"Carrots, am I going cross-eyed?" he asked.

"I'm driving," she told him. "Have you tried looking at something far away?"

He focused on the road ahead – with his eyes, at least. His mind was on the destination, and the reception he might find there. Well, those and one other thing, but he tried not to think about the one other thing.

"Are you _sure_ they won't mind having a fox come to the party?" he asked, looking like he wished he could jump out of the car.

"Trust me – unless you feel like walking back." Seeing that he was still ill at ease, she lightly bumped his shoulder with a fist. "Relax. You spent all week getting your stomach ready for vegetarian."

His paws strayed to his gut. "I should have made it two weeks," he groaned.

"You should have _started_ with something other than the extra-fiber whole-grain oat muffins with granola topping," Judy remonstrated. "Anyway, you're with me. Mom and Dad would never chase off a guest after I invited him."

Nick grimaced and gripped his midsection a little harder. "Uh, Carrots, that's not the only reason I'm so nervous."

Judy blinked as she got what he was getting at, and her foot pressed harder against the gas pedal. "Hang on; gas station coming up."

Alex awoke while Nick was in the bathroom. "Where are we?" he asked.

His sister glanced back at him. "We owe him _big_ for this."

"We?" he echoed. "You talked me into it."

"Yes, and as my older brother you should have tried to talk me out of it."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Does," he muttered.

She rolled hers right back. "Bucks," she quipped in turn. She made it a rule not to play favorites when it came to her siblings, but there was a reason she and Alex had always gotten along so well.

* * *

Fortunately, the visit to the restroom proved sufficient to hold Nick over until they reached the Hopps house. Along the way, Judy took the opportunity to point out several elaborately decorated yards backed by houses built into large hillsides – or, Nick suspected, large hillsides built up over houses in some cases. It was a little hard to tell the houses themselves apart when the decorations were so elaborate. They were in all shapes, makes, and sizes: hard plastic, inflatable, snow and ice, wire frame, animatronic, and just about every conceivable mix of the above. He didn't know it, but Bunnyburrow was at the height of their annual Christmas décor contest – and many of the families also strove to make their houses stand out for visiting relatives.

"Is that an actual working ferris wheel?" he asked at one house – on the small side, which was to say it was only about the size of a modest college dorm. Out front, several bunnies were riding an inflatable ferris wheel.

Judy glanced over before returning her eyes to the road. "No, those are the Houstons – north country Houstons, that is. Some of their bunnies make _me_ look sane."

Sure enough, an older doe came rushing out a moment later to chase the scamps off the ferris wheel. The mischievous dibbuns jumped off into the deep snow and scattered in all directions, undoubtedly in search of more ways to get on the Naughty list.

"North country Houstons," Nick repeated in wonder. "I'll never know how you keep up with all these families."

"Kind of have to," she shrugged. "I've got siblings-in-law mixed into most of them. Not the Houstons, though; them I know because in high school I kept getting compared to one of the West Side Houstons. Wonder what became of him?"

Nick barely heard her answer. He had gotten distracted by a three-story-tall Nativity scene, with figures so large they reminded him of dinosaurs. He shook his head and sipped a coffee he'd grabbed at the gas station; gingerbread flavor with a shot of all-natural peppermint. Knowing Judy, he was going to need the caffeine and sugar.

 _And if her family's wired anything like she is, I'd better make sure none of them get ahold of it,_ he thought to himself.

At long last, they came to the Hopps farm. Nick almost missed the sign amidst the bustle of activity around it. Although the whole of the farm had been given over to snow forts and sculptures, the main attraction was a vast snow castle looming behind the hand-painted sign trimmed with pine garlands.

'Snow castle,' by the way, was not an exaggeration. It had turrets, lines etched in the walls to simulate real stone, ice windows cut from a nearby pond, and overall looked like it had been built by frost giants rather than bunnies.

"How the heck did they build that?" he asked, pointing.

Alex, who had foregone further sleep to enjoy the lights, looked out and beamed a little. "Ah, the wonders achievable with enough paws," he replied. "Nothing to it, really. We just build up each story, carve out tunnels as we go, and bring the snow from inside up top to build the successive levels."

Nick almost dropped his coffee. "Story?" he echoed.

"Of course," Alex replied. "What's the point of a snow fort if you can't go inside it? You should have been here the year we built a scale model of the Great Pyramid; even got extra credit at school for it."

The fox was almost afraid to ask, "What scale?"

"Oh, just half; nothing fancy."

The trio stopped in a parking lot – yes, a parking lot, not a driveway – thick with vehicles from visiting relatives. The area around it was largely empty, with most of the visitors already in the house or over at the snow castle. Nick stepped out, privately hoping that Judy had forgotten about her little prank on her parents.

He might as well have hoped for Chief Bogo to show up at work in a 'Foxes Rule' T-Shirt. The bunny didn't even give him a chance to admire the Nativity Scene (rabbit sized, thank goodness) poised by the front door in a cave made of snow rather than the usual stable.

"Okay," Judy whispered, "how should we do this? Let's see, put your arm around me like this... yeah, right there. Hmm. You don't quite reach my waist. Could you pick me up?"

"Over my dead body," he answered.

"Well, the ribs, then; they'll get the message."

"I'll just go in the side door," Alex announced. Throwing the pair a wink, he teased, "Give you two lovebirds a little space."

"Taelia is going to kill me if she ever finds out," Nick muttered out the side of his mouth. "Assuming one of your relatives doesn't get me first."

Judy shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Tisk, tisk," she chided. "Aren't you ashamed? A big fox like you scared of a bunch of rabbits?"

"I work with you," he pointed out. "I have every reason to be scared of rabbits."

"Ooh," she said slyly, "I wonder if it counts as pranking if I don't use that one until after Christmas."

He blanched. "You promised to leave the carrot pen back in the city," he complained.

"Didn't say which one," she pointed out, holding up three.

He groaned. "Can we get on with this?"

Judy rang the doorbell and leaned her head into Nick's side.

"You owe me for this," he whispered.

The door opened. "Well, who do... we have... here?" asked Stu, staring in total stupification at the scene before him. The setup could not have been more perfect; even Nick's nervous grin seemed to underscore his image as a boyfriend very reluctantly pulled into a meeting with his girl's dad.

"Hi, Dad," Judy greeted cheerfully.

Stu raised one paw, more than a little uneasily. When he spoke, his words came haltingly as if from the mouth of a robot. "Hi. Come. On. In."

He didn't notice that Judy had strategically placed her phone in her coat's breast pocket – with the camera out and recording.

"Is that Judy?!" came a voice from inside. "Tell her to come... on in." Bonnie, coming into view around a corner, stopped and stared. "Judy?"

"Hi Mom. This is Nick. I told you about him, right?"

Bonnie fainted, and it was only by reflex that Stu caught her in time.

Nick glanced at Judy, deciding enough was enough. "You were right," he said as evenly as possible. "Best prank ever."

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed. "Why'd you blow it early?!"

He just smirked. _Sly fox: one,_ he thought. _Dumb bunny: zero._

Nick might not have been so smug if he had been able to read minds. It was no surprise that some of the younger rabbits who saw him disappeared around corners, and in the Hopps household it wasn't even so strange when one of them pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Eyes to Ears," she reported. "Judy's here, and you're not gonna believe who her boyfriend is. Over."

"Copy, Eyes. Does it change the plan any? Over."

'Ears' glanced back around the corner to where Nick was helping Mr. Hopps with a slumped Mrs. Hopps. It was hard to hear what they were saying, but she saw no reason to change plans.

"Negative," she reported. "Boyfriend is prime target. Maybe better than we hoped. Over."

"Copy that, Ears. Report to your station on the double. Over and out."

The Sisters Six were on the move.

 **Well, that's it for chapter one. My hope is to release one part of this story for each week of Advent – which, I'm sorry to say, is going to mean a hiatus on my other projects, and probably on my reading as well.**

 **As a consolation to those who are still disappointed that Nick and Judy aren't together in this one, I will promise some mistletoe humor later. Also, you can check out AngloFalcon's fic, _In and Out of Love,_ which is very WildeHopps.**

 **I didn't write much of this chapter to music, but I will name two songs: Casting Crowns' "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," which has a very serious tone, and "Christmastime Down South" featuring Aaron Tippin (yeah, you saw what I did with the name in the chapter), which is much brighter and livelier. I'll suggest in advance that you may want to play the latter one at low volume in the background when you read the next chapter, to set the Hopps House mood.**

 **Speaking of the Hopps House, how's Judy's family going to react to her and her little prank? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out, so click that Follow button!**


	2. Sibling Shenanigans

**OK, to start off, a quick fyi; I made an edit to chapter one, adding in a Nativity Scene outside the Hopps' front door (because it's kind of hinted that they have, at least, some Christian background).**

 **I have to say I'm impressed by how this took off. The morning after I uploaded it my e-mail was flooded (and I mean _flooded;_ I don' think I've ever seen so many notices from all at once! My thanks to everyone who's shown interest in this so far. I wasn't expecting so many faves – not to mention four reviews (which has become what I hold out for before an update on SS) – in less than twelve hours from the upload.**

 **And now, without further delay...**

* * *

 **Nani: "Did you catch fire _again?"_**

 **David: "Nah, just the stage."**

 _ **Lilo and Stitch**_

It didn't take long to revive Bonnie, and it only took slightly longer for her and Stu to pull Judy aside.

"We just need to have a quick talk with Bun-Bun," Bonnie explained.

"Bun-Bun?" echoed Nick in a tone which clearly said something more like, 'Oooh, wait'll the guys at the precinct hear _that_ one.'

Judy shot him a look which clearly said, 'Don't even think about it.'"This won't take long," she promised. "Just hang up your coat..." she pointed one way towards a track rack like the kind at a dry cleaner's, "... and make yourself comfortable in the living room," she finished, pointing the other way.

"Judith…" Bonnie persisted.

Judy suppressed the urge to groan. Her mother only called her 'Judith' when something was profoundly wrong. "I'll be right back," she promised Nick just before her parents whisked her away.

Suddenly alone in the Hopps Home, Nick felt rather hemmed in – not only by the bunnies (though most of them had moved away), but by the room itself. The ceiling was high enough that he didn't have to stoop down, but the small furnishings made him feel like he had walked into a nursery school.

"Oop!"

 _So much for not bumping into things,_ he thought as he removed a dangling sprig of mistletoe from his snout. He hadn't known it, but mistletoe berries were naturally quite sticky – and the Hopps family didn't go for artificial plants. _Great,_ he thought, _and Taelia's not here, either._

Fortunately, he found he had one thing going for him. One was that, mingled in with the décor, the Hopps clan had placed signs pointing to different rooms and events: movies, bathroom, and kitchen down one hallway, living room, gifts for visitors, and allergy-safe snack tables down another, and so on.

 _This explains a_ lot _about Carrots,_ he thought, his paws straying to his stomach. _Too bad there's no sign of a pred-safe snack table_. Spotting a note below the signs which read, 'Take one,' and pointed to a stack of papers below, he did and found it was a list of schedules for different movies and activities. _I guess I'd better not wander off until Carrots gets back,_ he thought. Checking the signs again, he made for the living room.

Upon reaching his destination, he recalled something Judy had told him on the way – something firmly drilled into the heads of each and every Hopps. When holidays came along, guests had the right of way. Sure enough, several bunnies vacated chairs as he entered the living room – though whether this was a matter of manners or more the opposite, he couldn't say.

In any case, it didn't solve one other problem: the stares. Being a head taller than everyone else around, as well as the only fox, Nick might as well have had a neon sign on his head saying, 'Watch me closely. Stare like zombies.'

Settling into an open easy chair – one of the few seats actually big enough for his purposes – he decided that for the moment he should avoid speaking unless spoken to and focus on preparing for the conversation sure to come with Judy's parents. One thing he had learned on other occasions when he was in someone's house was to study the setting for cues. A good surveilance of somene's house could yield volumes of information useful to one seeking to make a good imprssion.

Trying not to notice furtive glances and undisguised stares, he applied himself to this tack. The room – which (in keeping with the size of the family) was about the size of some dancing rooms he'd seen at night clubs – was tastefully decorated. Mint green wallpaper provided a tranquil backdrop for family photos, ledges full of memorabilia and family photos safely out of jumping range, and an assortment of rustic coat racks. Just below the shelves, yards and yards of pine garland and tinsel had been twined together, providing a nice contrast of light and dark against the middle-hued background. A grandfather clock stood in one corner, and in the middle of the east wall sat a large fireplace behind a grate. Nick briefly noticed that the grate was secured with a padlock, evidently to shield the blaze within from tampering paws (and vice-versa).

Then his attention migrated above the fire to a large decorative blanket above the mantlepiece. It was the kind woven from fairly thick threads (that is to say, about as thick as a pencil lead) with the picture directly woven into the fabric. The picture, unsurprisingly, was of a nativity. The main species present were antelopes, though there were also some sheep and cattle dressed in farmers' clothes. Nick noticed that the camel magi weren't present, but supposed that they would have made the picture too crowded.

Seeing that there was nothing to dread from the innocuous visitor, the rabbits around presently grew bolder. One of them, a girl about ten, walked up to Nick. "I'm Runo. Did you come with Judy?" she asked.

Nick, pulled out of his inspection of the blanket, looked at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm with Judy."

The young doe gasped. "Holy smoke, she really _is_ dating a fox! I've gotta tell Sheryl!"

"What? No! We're not-!" It was too late. The bunny was gone. Nick groaned. "Why did I ever agree to this?"

Others, emboldened by the first one's bravado, soon came forward and started asking him questions. He struggled to keep up, and tried in vain to recognize any of the ones Judy had shown him on her phone. At long last he spotted the face of the one who had first approached him.

"Runo!" he yelped. "Listen, I think there's been a mistake. I'm not-"

"I'm not Runo," she told him. "I'm Sally. I'll tell Runo you're looking for her."

"Okay, and tell her-"

She was gone.

Nick groaned. This was going to be a _long_ Christmas Eve.

In another room, Mrs. Hopps was still in a state of mental shock. "Judy, you know I love you no matter what, but are you actually dating a fox?!"

"Mom, that was a prank," Judy insisted. "Nick even _said_ so right after you fainted. Dad, you heard him."

"I did," Stu conceded thoughtfully, "although _that_ could be the prank – just like the time when..."

This stunt was starting to look like a worse idea all the time. "Mom, Dad, I promise it was a joke. You said to bring a guy friend, and Nick is a guy friend – and, by the way, he's got someone. A friend of mine, actually."

Her parents looked at one another. "She's rehearsed this too well," Stu stated.

Judy groaned and smacked herself in the face with both paws. She hadn't been this exasperated since the DMV, for crying out loud!

"What's going on?" asked Alex, walking up.

"Judy's dating a fox," Stu replied.

Judy wanted to scream, but Alex just laughed. "Oh, that?" he asked. "Dad, Mom, that was a joke. She and I planned it all out a month ago."

The parents stared at him. "I am not sure whether to be upset or relieved," Stu uttered.

Judy just stared at the three of them, but said nothing until they were on their way back to the living room.

"Okay, why the heck did they believe you just like that?!" she hissed to Alex.

He shrugged. "You've gotten rusty," he teased. "You got too adamant and it sounded like you were overcompensating. That's like the top of the Rookie Mistakes List."

Judy made a mental note to keep Alex pranking Nick. If the two guys ever forged an alliance, she'd never make it. Speaking of which...

"Is everything all set?" she asked.

He smiled and flashed a thumbs-up. "I thought you'd never ask. It's all 10&O and good to go – but you should probably know that I spotted Marcie using a walkie-talkie on my way here."

Judy groaned. "Not again." She caught her mother by the elbow. "Mom, I think we may have a problem. Could you go to the south door of does' room six and stand guard?"

Bonnie knew better than to ask questions; it was hardly unheard of for Judy's 'may have a problem' to mean the same as someone else's 'the living room rug is on fire.'

Still in the living room, Nick was _very_ close to running screaming out the door. He was dead certain he had seen not less than _eighteen_ bunnies with 'Runo's' face. They all came and went so quickly that he could never correct them about Judy's hoax, and the only difference he could spot among them was their clothes.

"Holding up okay, Slick?" asked Judy, mercifully foregoing her personal favorite 'Nick-name.'

"Oh, hallelujah," he sighed when he saw her. "Carrots, I have tried and tried, but I can't recognize anyone here. Oh, hi Aaron..."

"Alex," Alex corrected him.

Nick sighed. "Exactly my point."

Judy shrugged. _One headache at a time,_ she thought. "Hang tight, Nick. Pretend I went to the bathroom."

She ducked behind his chair before he could ask, "What?"

"Hey, are you Nick?" asked another Runo look-alike, walking up.

Nick suppressed the urge to ask if they had a duplicator box in the house. "I need a name tag," he lamented. "Yes, I'm Nick. Are you Runo?"

"No, I'm Doloris."

"Funny," said Judy, emerging from hiding. "I thought your name was Jade."

The bunny in question looked ill, then took off like a shot through the crowd, yelling into a walkie-talkie with Judy fast on her heels.

"Our cover's blown! Abort the mission! Abort the mission!"

She vanished into a hallway with Judy close behind, and a moment later sounds of chaos issued forth like something off-screen in a slapstick cartoon.

"Run for it, Marcie!"

"Ow, not the ear!"

"Let go of my leg!"

Nick looked at the crowd of rabbits around, whose reactions ranged from awe to laughter. Then he looked at Stu and Alex, who both looked perfectly calm about the whole matter.

"Do I want to know what's going on?" he asked.

Bonnie's voice rang out loud and clear amidst a fresh burst of noise.

"Hey! You girls get back here and _get properly dressed_! _THERE ARE GUESTS IN THE HOUSE!_ "

Scrunching his face, Nick clapped a paw over his eyes. "No. No, I do not."

It took some time before the does came back, marching six identical bunnies in front of them like prisoners of war and lining them up in front of Nick. The whole set wore mismatched, haphazard outfits which looked to have been thrown together in a hurry.

"So," asked Judy decisively, "which one of you was the ringleader of this again?"

The one at the far left of the line coughed. "It was a joke," she offered meekly.

"Marcie..." warned Bonnie, tapping her foot.

Marcie stared at the floor, and haltingly confessed the whole scheme. She and the other five – all littermates – had done themselves up to look identical. Then they had circled through a bathroom with doors on both sides, switching outfits and fake names at each pass. Now that they were no longer driving him crazy (and now that the interrogation had made _them_ the center of attention instead of him), Nick couldn't help but be impressed. _It was a scheme worthy of me,_ he thought to himself, hiding a smirk. _Finnick would love these kids._

"So, we're sorry," Marcie finished. "Really, _really_ sorry," she added in a, 'Please say it's okay so Mom won't send our presents back' kind of way.

Nick masked his amusement and shrugged. "Well, now that I'm no longer at risk for heading off to the nuthouse, I guess we're cool."

The pack of bunnies thanked him and moved to depart, but Stu cleared his throat. "You know the rules, kids. You prank a visitor, you apologize and then spend half an hour scrubbing pans." He moved to his wife's side and patted her on the arm. "Alex and I will get this. You and Judy take a breather."

She smiled appreciatively as Alex joined Stu, slapping paws with Judy on the way like two members of a tag team. Nick noticed Alex pointing to his watch, and Judy nodding.

 _They're up to something,_ he thought. "So much for the 'no pranks' promise," he noted to Judy.

"This wasn't me," she insisted, looking genuinely sorry for what Nick had gone through. "I was hoping they had matured some, but I guess it was too much to ask."

"Those were Marcie, Naomi, Barbara, Louise, Justine, and Dawn, by the way," Bonnie explained, rattling the names off very calmly.

Nick noticed that none of the names matched any _they_ had given him.

"They're sextuplets," she went on, "and they're always cooking up mischief. They call themselves the Sisters Six."

Nick scrunched his face. "That sounds like a rip-off of a team from a comic book or something."

"It is," Judy replied, "which should tell you a lot about them right there."

"Oh, it does," he nodded.

Bonnie smiled. "So, Nick, are you hungry? We're not quite prepared for a, um, fox, but you've had a long trip from the city, and..."

Judy hastily intervened. "Oh, Nick had plenty to eat on the way over here. That can wait."

"Uh... right." Nick put a paw on his stomach. The truth was he was famished, despite the snacks he'd eaten that morning, but he wasn't sure being full would be so much better in the Hopps' house. "Uh, by the way," he added, doing his best to sound casual, "in case Judy didn't tell you, we're not dating."

"She did," Bonnie replied, unsuccessfully trying to hide her relief at having it confirmed. "Not that there's anything _wrong_ with foxes, you know. It's just..." she trailed off, looking worried – like she thought Nick might bite her or, worse yet, sue for discrimination.

Nick raised a paw in a tired manner. He wasn't sure if what he was seeing was false acceptance or genuine penance, and either way being singled out like this made him uncomfortable. "Look," he said, "I'm fine. It's fine. We pranked you, ha ha, there we go." Then, brightening in an effort to lighten the mood, he rubbed his paws together and asked, "Um, I _could_ go for some of your spiced cider about now. Judy's been raving about it, and..."

"Oh, yes," Bonnie brightened. "Come on, let's go get-"

"No," Judy said a little too quickly. "I _just_ remembered I need to take care of something over by the kitchen anyway. I'll get some. You've been working hard at the academy; you should rest." She walked off, looking as unhurried as possible.

Nick looked at Bonnie. She looked at him.

"She's up to something, right?" he asked.

Bonnie folded her arms. "And if I follow her, the kids will be all over you like piranahs," she added.

Nick let out a huff. "Sly bunny."

By the time Judy got back, things were going a little better. Nick had made a few polite remarks about the decorating and the organization it must have taken to get a home that large trimmed in time for Christmas. Bonnie, in turn, had asked if he had any experience with kids – noting that Nick had taken the Sisters Six very much in stride once he knew what was going on. His assertion to the negative led to a real common thread: background in food sales.

"I've never tried it out in the suburbs," he confessed, "but I think I could cut it just about anywhere – _if_ I went back to sales, that is."

Bonnie nodded. "Well, the real challenge out here is mostly keeping paws busy. All these bunnies running around have something to do at least part of the day pretty much since they're old enough to tie the laces on their workboots."

"Didn't think you wore shoes out here much, any more than we do in the city."

This was answered with a shrug. "Mostly for safety. Heavy equipment, sharp tools, the odd pinching insect... that sort of thing. Anyway, we start everyone out on simple things like pulling weeds, and then move them up to more complicated jobs. That way, there's enough work done and enough produce grown to keep everyone warm and fed." After a moment's thought, she added curiously, "How do you produce pawpsicles, anyway? I mean, enough for a business?"

 _Cheating, mostly,_ thought Nick. "Well, I don't want to bore you with the details. Get the juice, freeze it, bladitty-bladitty-blah."

"Well it's clear you'd never make it as an English teacher," Judy cracked, walking up with a tray holding three steaming mugs. "Decided to get us all some cider."

"Oh, thanks Judy." Bonnie took one mug for herself and passed another to Nick, then pulled a couple of stray chairs over for herself and her daughter. Once Judy had removed hers and set the tray aside, they clinked mugs and took a long sip.

"Mmm," Nick murmured, running his tongue around his mouth. "Now _this_ would make a good pawpsicle."

"We tried that once," Judy laughed. "The thing is, stuff settles and throws the texture off by the time it freezes."

"Stuff?" echoed Nick, glancing uncertainly at the cup in his hand.

Bonnie shrugged. "Orange juice pulp, mostly. Also some little bits that simmer off of the cloves and cinnamon sticks."

"Huh. Too bad." Nick took another swig. "I'll have to get the recipe for this, though."

"Everyone says that," laughed Bonnie, fishing a card out of her pocket and handing it to him. "It's an old family recipe."

Nick accepted the card, wondering if maybe it could make up for the impression he'd once given Taelia of his cooking skills.

"By the way, Judy, I love that sweater," Bonnie added.

"Oh, thanks," Judy replied, glancing down. The item in question had been a gift from a woodchuck friend of hers back in the city, and showed a forest of pine trees flecked with snow. It was pretty impressive picture quality too, considering that it was knitted.

The conversation was broken off by a bunny walking up. "Hey, are you that fox Judy's _not_ dating?"

Judy breathed a sigh of relief. She had gotten so exhausted telling everyone that Nick _wasn't_ her boyfiend that she had finally resorted to using her carrot pen to relay the message. How the word of his _arrival_ had even spread that fast without use of the pawblic address system, she'd never know. "Yes, this is Nick. Nick, this is... Eileen."

 _Ha,_ thought Nick, noting the tiny pause. _I knew she had trouble once in a while._ "Nice to meet you," he told Eileen, leaning forward and extending a paw.

She shook it, wearing a smile that worried him a little. _She's either got a prank in mind, or... nah._

"Do you _have_ a girlfriend?" asked Eileen.

 _Uh-oh,_ thought Nick, coughing a little. "Yes, actually. Judy introduced us – sort of." Taelia had kindly asked Nick not to bring up just how the two of them had met, since it was rather embarassing.

Eileen looked a little nonplussed to hear this. "Too bad," she remarked, studying the fox. "You're cute."

Everyone stopped and stared at her, but Nick barely paused. Rapid recovery, he knew, was vital in awkward predicaments – though being crushed on by a little girl was a new one for him. "Well, I won't say I'm not flattered, but I _do_ happen to be twice your age. I know your big sis loves to say 'anyone can be anything,' but I'm pretty sure she would still kill me if I tried to be fifteen."

Judy quickly picked up the idea. "Oh, I wouldn't kill you," she replied, folding her arms. "I'd tell Taelia and let her do it. She'd take longer."

Nick patted the crestfallen bunny on the head. "There's a buck out there for you somewhere. Hang in there."

As Eileen left, Judy let her annoyance show. "Is there some conspiracy to embarrass me or something?"

"Duh," came Alex's voice from over her shoulder. He and Stu had just come back.

Judy smacked herself in the face. "You _had_ to show up right at that second?"

"Everything all in order?" asked Bonnie.

Stu nodded. "Oh, they're all set. Pop's keeping an eye on them."

Judy winced. Paw-Paw was always grouchy, but when he drew short straw for the kitchen supervisor role on Christmas Eve... well, suffice it to say she _almost_ felt sorry for the Sisters Six. Almost.

"So, not to change the subject, Nick, but if I know foxes, you must be hungry – and I do know foxes, because we partnered up with one this year."

"Really?" asked Nick. Judy hadn't mentioned this particular tidbit – more than likely to keep him on edge. He gave her a look which simply drew a shrug.

"I _guess_ I was too busy sticking names on those pictures," she offered in defense.

"Uh-huh," Nick replied, clearly not buying it. "Well, as a matter of fact..."

At that moment his stomach made a sound reminiscent of a volcano. He looked down and laughed awkwardly. "I guess I could do with a bite."

"Well, let's go, then," Judy offered brightly, drawing him eagerly from his seat and towing him toward the dining room.

As they approached the eating area, the general hubbub of the house escalated. The Hopps, as Nick learned, had a vast dining room which frequently changed occupants as one group's turn began and another ended. During parties like this one, the dining tables were repurposed for a greater volume and wider range of foods. This allowed eaters to spread out around the house, but it also turned the hub – the dining room – into little more than a free-for-all.

When they reached their destination, which was really more of a cafeteria, Nick's eyes popped. The tables – of which there had to be a dozen or more – were each given over almost entirely to a single dish or type of dish. One for salad, one for spaghetti, one for various kinds of potatoes...

His stomach lurched at the sight.

"Now let's see," Stu ventured. "You foxes are okay with fruit, right? Or am I thinking of bears?"

Nick's spirits lifted considerably. "Fruit's great – especially blueberries..." he trailed off, fearing that they might be all out.

"Right this way," Judy urged, towing him by the sweater sleeve toward a back corner of the room. Up ahead, Nick could hear several voices urging everyone to 'stay back.'

"Uh, Bun-Bun," Bonnie called, following in confusion, "The fruit table is over... here..."

She trailed off as she came around Nick, who had suddenly stopped. Right in front of them was a table laden not with vegetarian foods, but with fried and roasted cricket combo platters, shrimp, and a variety of other predator foods. Also present were fresh blueberries, blueberry pie and tarts, and... well, actually, it looked to Nick as if they had laid out _all_ of his favorites.

"Where did this come from?" asked Stu, gesturing to the table.

Judy laughed. "Let's just say I got a little inside help to get all this in here."

Interestingly, Alex was suddenly nowhere in sight.

"Wait," Nick protested. Never in his life had he been so close to upset at the sight of food he liked. "You mean you guys were ready for a carnivore?! Carrots, you told me that..." he trailed off, thoroughly stunned as he realized he'd just gone through all that preparation for nothing. "You promised no pranking on Christmas Eve!"

"Yes I did. It's Christmas Eve, and the prank's over," she smirked, holding up a plate of buffalo crickets. "Dig in."

Nick filled up a tray and found a relatively quiet room to chat with the two does. Stu had to beg out, saying that Cinder had a new boyfriend he wanted to screen.

"Cinder?" echoed Nick, confused. He knew rabbits went through a lot of names, but that one was a bit much even for him.

"Actually her name is Cindy," Judy clarified, mixing a few added bits into a salad for herself. "Everyone calls her Cinder, though, after the Chemistry Set Incident."

Nick winced. "Do I want to know?" he asked.

Bonnie smiled just a little. "Let's just say that was the last time she teamed up with Marcie and the others. They used to be the Sisters Seven."

As they chatted back and forth about this, that, and the other thing, none of them realized they were being watched. A young buck – about eight – had heard about the fox in the house. Having not heard about the prank part of the story, he had concluded that this city slicker must have somehow charmed his way past Judy's defenses – and must, therefore, be dealt with.

Nick never even knew the buck was there until a shout of, "Thunder Punch!" sounded in his ear. Before he could so much as turn, a blow took him in the shoulder – accompanied by a convulsive wave of pain.

"YAAAH-AH-AH-AAAHH!" he screamed as he fell out of his seat, scattering his lunch and gyrating on the foor.

The culprit, dressed in a yellow costume decorated with black lightning blts like the stripes of some truly ridiculous tiger, bounced off and landed a short distance away. Electricity still sparked from a device strapped to his wrist. "Critical hit!" he exulted.

"Jordy Hopps, what in the world do you think you're doing?!" shouted Bonnie, snatching him up with one paw and quickly disarming him with the other. She switched off the device and tossed it away, still holding her wayward son aloft by the collar of his costume.

Jordy seemed unfazed by his mother's tirade. "Chasing off an intruder, Mom."

Judy was busy checking on Nick, but despite the zap he seemed to be fine – physically, anyway. There was a look of betrayal on his face, though, as his gaze fell on the weapon in question... or rather, the emblem painted on it. It was a picture of a fox.

"What the heck's going on?" asked Stu, who had come running when he heard the noise.

" _Some_ body decided to play superhero," Bonnie all but growled.

Nick picked up the offending object. "With a _fox taser?"_ he asked, looking like one of them had just stabbed him with a knife. Judy's stomach sank at the sight; he hadn't looked this wounded since the press conference.

"Nick," she pleaded, "it's not what you think. I forgot to tell Alex..."

"To what? Hide the fox taser you keep lying around?"

Stu stepped in. "Now hold on. Look, Nick, I know it was _made_ for foxes, but it's an _all-purpose_ taser. It works on anything – uh, _one._ We keep it around in case of intruders – which this fox _isn't,"_ he added, directing the last part to the offending youngster. "Judy invited him."

"He's got you all duped!" protested Jordy, trying to wriggle loose. "He's using Judy to-"

"Now you listen to me," Judy cut in, stepping up so she was eye-to-eye with him. "Nick is not using me for anything. I wanted to prank Mom and Dad, so I invited him to the party to let them _think_ he was my boyfriend – and _now,_ he is going to have a good time if I have to tie you to the top of the Christmas tree to keep you out of the way. _Got it?"_

While everyone's attention was on Jordy, Nick quietly slipped away. _Nice effort, Fluff,_ he thought, _but I'll settle for just staying under the radar until it's time to go._

 **Did I swipe the name of that one character from AngloFalcon's material who everyone loves to hate? Well yes, yes I did - because I could. lol I needed a name for someone everybody would want to see get drop-kicked, so there you are. Will he turn out like his namesake? Well, I could have revealed that, but I'm making you all wait a week. :P**

 **Also, I'd like to mention that one reason I wanted to write this story is that I love nativity scenes, and I noticed a few hints in the movie of a noteworthy Christian presence in Bunnyburrow (Pentecostal, I suspect, but that's neither here nor there for this story).**

 **Stay awesome, and for those who haven't be sure to check out "Something Stinks" and my Zootopia-ish _Balto_ fanfic "What's Love Anyway?" It's got a Christmas update coming soon which I challenge _anyone_ to read out loud without crying.**

 **I'm going to do something a little different with the Easter Egg Hunt in this chapter (because without Easter, what would be the point of Christmas?). Instead of clues as to where to look, I'll tell wht the Easter Eggs reference and let you guys figure out where they crop up.**

 **Easter Eggs in this chapter reference:**

 **Back to the Future (two of these)**

 **Magic Schoolbus**

 **Spider-Man**

 **Bakugan**

 **Calvin and Hobbes**

 **Pokemon**

 **Spyro the Dragon**

 **See how many you can spot!**

* * *

 **Songs I listened to for mood while writing this:**

 ** _Angels We Have Heard on High_ , by David Archuleta**

 _ **Christmas this Year,**_ **by TobyMac**

 _ **Christmas Time Down South,**_ **Charlie Daniels & Friends w/ Aaron Tippin**

 _ **God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen**_

 _ **Hark the Herald Angels Sing,**_ **by Weezer**

 _ **Christmas with a Capital C,**_ **by Go Fish**

 _ **Joy to the World**_

 _ **It's Christmas,**_ **by Mandisa**

 _ **Mary's Boy Child**_

 _ **Retooning the Nativity,**_ **by Igniter Media (not music, but a lot of fun to watch or listen to)**

 _ **We Three Kings,**_ **by Hugh Jackman, David Hudson, and Peter something-I-can't-spell**

 _ **In Like a Lion,**_ **by Relient K**

 _ **Christmas Eve**_ **(not sure of the group, but there's a great video on YouTube with clips from Balto)**

 _ **Best Time of the Year**_

 _ **Snoopy's Christmas,**_ **by Royal Guardsmen**

 _ **The Best Christmas of All**_ **by Disney**

 _ **Under the Mistletoe**_ **from the Pokemon Christmas Bash**

 _ **Sleigh Ride**_

 _ **All I Want for Christmas is You**_

* * *

 **And on a final note, I happen to have the recipe for that spiced cider – perfect for all your cold-weather partying needs! (This is my mother's recipe, btw; there are many variations)**

 **4 cups apple cider**

 **2 cups cranberry juice**

 **1 cup orange juice**

 **1 cup pineapple juice**

 **2 sticks cinnamon**

 **1 tsp whole cloves**

 **Simmer the ingredients for 20 minutes. Crock pot instructions to follow, but I didn't want to make you wait.**


	3. The Baron Then Offered a Holiday Toast

**I guess there was some confusion over the backdrop of this story. I suppose I forgot to clarify that this story is not necessarily contiguous with _Something Stinks,_ meaning that how things stand here may or may not reflect the ending of my other story. That said, I'll be taking feedback on this story into account when I continue with _Something Stinks_ in 2017. Call it an experiment.**

 **Speaking of things that need clearing up, you'll need to know that in my own headcanon, polymorphs are the Zootopia world's answer to werewolves, and are basically like the shapeshifters of Native American legend. Some are evil, some just mischievous, and some are even good.**

 **Speaking of things that change, I've decided I'll appease a request I keep getting from certain readers (I'm looking at you, Anglo and Cimar), Wilde will kiss Hopps in this chapter. Just don't blink, or you'll miss it. I would also like to thank them both for their feedback and inspiring collaboration.**

 **Also, please check out my other Christmas bit: chapter four of "What's Love Anyway?" It could use some attention.**

" **And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heaveny host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward me.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."**

 **Linus, _A Charlie Brown Christmas_**

Nick found a secluded back pantry and sat there – not exactly sulking, but just... waiting. His mood was best described as a 'shrugging' mood; not depressed, but resigned. Part of him knew he wasn't being rational. Judy would be upset, and he supposed her parents would be too. If he was going to make anyone happy, it would be the ones who wanted him gone because he was a fox.

He stayed put anyway. _Guess I should have gone to the party with Taelia,_ he thought. Her whole family had seemed to like him when he had Thanksgiving dinner with them the previous month – especially her niece, Rose, who had already made so bold as to ask if Taelia planned to "keep this one." With them, he had nothing to prove.

 _At least Judy tried,_ he thought to himself. He had to give her credit for that. At least she, Alex, and their parents proved that rabbits could tolerate and even enjoy having a fox in their midst. Maybe one day the other three hundred or so would catch up.

Under better circumstances, Judy might have noticed Nick's departure sooner. After his disappearing act the day she found out he was a hustler, she'd learned to keep an eye or an ear trained on him whenever he was around. This time, however, it was her father who noticed the fox's absence.

"Jordy, you apologize right now to... oh, cheese and crackers, where'd he go?"

Judy looked around. So did Bonnie. No sign of Nick.

"Okay, _now_ you did it," snapped Judy.

"Well, I guess the apology will have to wait," Stu said, taking Jordy firmly by the paw. "But the paint stick should be right where it always is."

Jordy winced. In the Hopps house, any misdeed incurred a telling-off and giving an apology. Pranking a visitor was punishable by a half-hour of menial labor. Physical attacks rated ten whacks on the bottom with a paint stirrer (twenty if injury resulted). Under the circumstances, he was looking at all of the above – and while a few minutes ago he had thought of it as chasing off a creep trying to mess with his sister, now he wasn't so confident.

Bonnie put a paw on her husband's arm. "I think we'd better focus on finding Nick. One of us can _explain_ to Jordy why he was wrong while we look."

There was a brief discussion, but though the Hopps parents weren't fond of delegating disciplinary action to their young, it wasn't hard to see that Judy was the best qualified in this instance.

"Alright," she said, hauling her brother off. "Let me start with telling you _exactly_ who you tased."

For a good half-hour or so, they searched and Judy lectured. Without getting into specifics, she told Jordy the highlights of Nick's rougher background; the distrust as a youngster, the flling-out with those who _had_ trusted him before, the confidence issues, and especially her own personal failure on the matter at the press conference. She also outlined everything he'd done since then: helping her, saving her life more than once, trying to become a police officer... she pulled no punches.

"That was part of why I insisted – and let me repeat, _I insisted_ – on his coming here this time," she went on. "I wanted everyone here to see what a good friend he was, and I wanted him to see that he'd be accepted." Looking hard at her younger brother, she added, "Isn't that kind of the point of Christmas – opening doors to people we may not even like?"

It was becoming pretty clear by the look on Jordy's face that he got the picture. He wasn't crying (as far as Judy knew he hadn't been seen to spring a tear since he was three), but he was looking at the floor and his ears were hanging low.

"I'm... I'm sorry," he said haltingly. "I didn't know."

As irate as she was on her friend's behalf, Judy deflated just a little. If there was one thing she had learned from her parents, it was that discipline was always more effective when the one being punished knew they had earned it. She had the feeling her work was done – at least on Jordy's account. "Well, help me find Nick, and we'll call it even – at least for me."

Nick had left the door ajar, knowing that one should never shut themselves up in a closet. So it only creaked a little when one head poked in, then vanished before he could get a good look. He wondered if it was Judy, and considered getting up. Before he did so, though, someone else walked in.

Jordy.

"Are you... okay?" asked the kit.

Nick looked away. "Did you bring the fox taser?"

Jordy backed away a step or two. His ears were down, and he dropped his gaze toward the floor. "I'm... I'm sorry about that."

There was something in his tone that gave Nick pause. "Are you saying that because you are, or because it's Christmas Eve?"

"Well, Judy told me some things – about you, and... well, she said it better. Anyway, I was stupid, and mean, and... I'm sorry.

Nick tried to process this. It sounded like Judy had been discreet, keeping everything about him on a need-to-know basis, but told her brother enough to prod his conscience.

"I thought you were messing with Judy, and I didn't like it. Dad says we've got to look out for each other, but, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings – and your arm too. Will you come out now? Judy's got everyone looking for you, and..."

"Okay, you talked me into it," Nick chuckled, getting up.

Judy was thrilled to see Nick, and the Hopps parents were – of course – overflowing with apologies.

"As for you," Stu added firmly to Jordy, "I think we have a few things to take care of."

Nick cringed a little on the young buck's behalf. He opened his mouth to say something on his behalf. Judy hip-checked him and shook her head just a little.

Jordy seemed to be thinking along similar lines. "Does it help that Nick and I are friends now?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Rules are rules," she reminded. "We start relaxing them and then it's nothing but work, work, work."

"Well," said Bonnie with a glance at her husband, "before anything else goes wrong, I think it's time we pulled out the ultimatum."

"Ultimatum?" echoed Nick.

Stu nodded. "You'll like this," he whispered, pulling out something that looked like a pager. Keying the device, he said, "Attention. This is Dad speaking." His voice was carried throughout the house via a system of speakers. "Yes, Judy has brought a fox to visit. Yes, he is invited, no, he is not her boyfriend..."

 _You didn't_ have _to ound so relieved on that last part,_ thought Nick.

"... and he's been the target of more than his share of stunts for one day – so if _anyone_ gives him any more trouble, we will be spending New Year's off the grid."

A wail of protest rose up all over the house.

Stu put away the device. "That should do it."

Nick was puzzled. "Off the grid?" he echoed.

Judy smirked. "Mom and Dad can have our TV and internet disconnected pretty much anytime they want."

"One of the perks of having a brother who works for the cable company," Bonnie added.

The fox winced. "And they say bunnies can't go savage."

Fortunately, the ultimatum worked like a charm. Everyone was _extra_ nice to Nick, and for an hour or two things went just as one would think. Then Jordy tracked them down, this time dressed in a black and red snowsuit (and, Nick noticed, not so much worse for the wear).

"Hey, Nick? Is it true you're an artist?"

Nick raised an eyebrow at this. "An artist?" he queried.

Judy coughed. "Oh, uh, I sort of bragged on you ahead of time. You know..."

The fox answered with a half-annoyed, half-bored look.

Jordy persisted, missing Judy's hemming and hawing. "Yeah, word is you're the best – and we've got this snow rabbit out front we've been having some trouble with..."

Judy tried to stop him with a cough. "Uh, Jordy, snow's not really Nick's medium, and he-"

"Nonsense," Nick argued, seeing a prime opportunity to turn this to his advantage. "I'd love to lend a paw. Just let me get my coat. Coming, Carrots?"

The sculpture in question stood out by the snow castle, and Jordy had been right – they _were_ having trouble. The head was off-center, and the ears wouldn't stay on. The biggest problem, though, were the two groups of kits – about half a dozen each – arguing over what to do about the offending extensions. One side wanted to keep trying for floppy ears, while the other was saying they should just have the ears standing upright.

"Hey, hey," Judy broke in, waving her paws as if to part the squabbling crowd. "Aren't we supposed to be having fun out here?"

While Judy did her best to quell the fuss, Nick calmly walked around the sculpture. It was about Judy's height with carefully sculpted, folded arms. "So you guys want the ears to hang down?"

"If we could manage it, sure," one of the older does in the bunch agreed, "but it won't work. We've been trying for hours."

Nick smiled. "I'll bet you a mug of peppermint hot chocolate that it'll work – _and_ I can make this so life-like people will think there's a real rabbit standing out here."

She folded her arms, then waved one paw doubtfully. "Have at it."

"O-kay," Nick grinned, rubbing his paws. He pointed to one of the kits who had been arguing for floppy ears. "I need you to get me a couple of sticks the same shape as you want the ears." As the youngster ran off, he addressed the rest of the group. "Then I'll need some broom bristles – black if you have 'em – plus a spray bottle with water, red food dye, a few plastic bags, and some black powder."

"We're gonna use explosives?!" asked Jordy ecstatically.

Nick laughed. "Ha ha, no. Judy made me promise not to before we came here."

"I did not!" Judy argued. Then, putting a paw to her chin, she added, "but maybe I should have."

The fox just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I mean just what I said: black powder. Powder that's black. Something out of a vaccum cleaner, or..."

"Ashes?" asked someone. "Mom and Dad keep all the wood ashes for fertilizer."

"Perfect. Bring me that, a clean piece of pipe, and a root beer, and we'll have this bunny done in no time."

The whole pack scattered in all directions on their impromptu scavenger hunt. Judy watced them go, shaking her head. "This," she declared, "I _have_ to see."

She turned around to find Nick scratching the sculpture like there was no tomorrow.

After Judy got over her initial dismay, it turned out there was a perfectly logical reason for the fox's actions. Short, rapid, strategically placed strokes quickly covered the rabbit's body with a surprisingly realistic furry texture. Based on his rather vague answers to Judy's questions, it seemed probable that he had once worked with (or maybe dated) an art forger. "She's in a different line of work these days," he added, "but she still takes requests."

Judy smiled. She had made it a point to keep on his back about training for the academy, but he had still managed to convince several of his former 'associates' to re-think their lives. The more dangerous ones – who might try to re-think _his_ life instead – had become a pet project of hers. Officially Bogo wasn't sure how she kept bringing in so many hardened crooks. Unofficially, he was warming to the idea of Nick as a cop – which was as much as to say he was no longer dismissing it as lunacy every hour on the hour.

 _Come on, Judy,_ she told herself. _Take a day off from thinking about police work for a change._

By the time the kits with the sticks returned, the rabbit was already looking considerably more life-like. "But it still doesn't take care of the ears," a girl said.

"Ah-ha, that's where these come in," Nick replied, taking the sticks. He examined them, sighted along them as if he were checking a pair of arrow shafts, rubbed them with his thumbs, and then stood back and examined the sculpture like an artist – first next to a raised thumb, then with his fingers forming a frame.

"Well?" someone asked.

Nick turned to them with an air of great solemnity. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Now, who wants to put them in?"

A sea of paws shot up.

Once the items were assembled, Judy began to see some logic to Nick's method. The sticks, of course, provided support for the ears and allowed them to stay put. They were actually a little shorter than would have been ideal, but when the ears were finished their shortness gave them a touch of added charm.

"They look like Mom's ears," said Marcie, who with the sisters Six had taken a break from terrorizing hapless victims to see what the fuss was about.

Judy stuied the effect. "I think you're right," she agreed with a laugh.

Nick mixed the water and food dye to achieve a solution which, when sprayed on the snow, turned it a lovely shade of pink. With several kits holding up the plastic bags (to keep the color's edges true, like masking tape when painting a wall), he colored the nose, coat, and the insides of the ears.

 _Then_ came the tricky part. Forming a totem pole, Nick and Jordy blew the dust onto the sculpture. That is, Jordy blew while Nick held up wood ashes by the pawful and coached him. "Easy, easy; not too much. Nice and slow, smooth sweeps to get the shading just right..."

When it was finished, everyone stood back to admire the result. True, the eyes were broken-off knobs from pot lids, and the color was off in one or two places, but from the road it looked exactly as if someone were standing out there watching cars go past.

"What about the root beer?" someone asked. "What's that for?"

Nick smiled, picking up the drink and taking a sip. "Nothing. I just like root beer."

Groans and indulgent chuckles rose up all around.

"So," asked Jordy, "Judy said you're training to be a cop?"

Nick shrugged. "Yeah, you might say that. She can be pretty persuasive sometimes." He shined his claws on his coat. "Hate to brag..."

"You?" snorted Judy.

"Ha ha. Anyway, I've already helped her on a couple of cases."

Jordy glanced at the others. By the way one or two of them were rolling their eyes, they knew what was coming. Jordy decided he didn't care. If Nick was willing to let go of the taser thing, he had to be cool about this. "Anything involving polymorphs?"

Nick scrunched his face. "Polymorphs?"

"Yeah. I was watching this show where these police were after a serial killer, and it turned out the guy they thought was the killer was actually the next victim, and the serial killer was this lady who-"

"Hold it, hold it," Judy broke in. She stared at her brother like he'd grown a third ear. "Mom and Dad let you _watch_ that?"

Jordy clasped his paws behind his back. "Well, before they _knew_ I was watching it they let me watch it."

Judy rolled her eyes. "How did I get such a neurotic brother?"

Nick chuckled. "Well, with _this_ many in the gene pool, you couldn't be the _only_ one."

She stepped on his tail, driving it into the snow.

Nick just shook his head. "Okay, first off, you are a sore loser. Second, you need a harder surface for that to work. Now, where were we?"

"Polymorphs."

A doe only a little younger than Judy, who had pulled the short straw to maintain some semblance of order out by the castle, shook her head. "Jordy, I keep telling you those are made up."

Nick smirked, seeing a chance for some fun. "Are they?" he asked. "How do you know I'm not one?"

Jordy rolled his eyes. "How dumb do I look? You haven't tried to kill anyone."

Judy decided to play along. "No, but not all polymorphs are bad. Just look at Santa Claws." In Zootopia, it was generally accepted that althought he historic Saint Nick had been a badger, Santa could change his shape anytime he wanted to fit with different species' homes and neighborhoods.

Everyone said that Nick's story was silly, but a lot of them were looking at him pretty strangely as if even the older ones half-believed it.

Evidently someone in the snow castle – which was to Nick's back at the moment – didn't buy it enough to fear landing on the Naughty list. "Heads up!"

Nick ducked, anticipating a frigid spheroid. The thrower, however, had been one step ahead of him; an oversized snowball took him smack in the rear, caught him off-balance, and knocked him headfirst into the snow.

Judy was outraged. So was the doe in charge. "That did it. Who did that?!"

Nick, plastered with powder, pulled himself out of the snow. He shook hs head, sputtered, and then said in a low, threatening voice, "I am warning you..."

Everyone stepped back a little, and several faces poking from the snow castle hastily vanished.

Grinning, Nick rose up with an extra-large of his own. "You're messing with an old pro."

There was a great deal of shaking and stoming and general snow removal an hour or so later as a posse of rabbits – and one fox – trooped back into the Hopps' home. Anyone watching would never have guessed that Nick and Jordy had so recently been so at odds with one another from the way the two of them got along now. Judy watched from a short distanc, thinking it was too bad Taelia wasn't there. The two of them had enjoyed a number of girls' nights out, and by now she knew the vixen well enough to be confident in thinking, _She'd give her right arm to see this._

"Well, it's about time," Bonnie remarked, rushing to get everyone dry. "Come on; it's almost time for the Christmas Eve service."

"Oh, right!" Judy had been so busy getting caught up in everything else that she'd lost track of time.

"Christmas Eve service?" echoed Nick.

"At church," Judy explained. "You know; songs, a skit, the usual." Inside she was wondering how it would be managed. She had talked Nick and even Taelia into tagging along to a Christmas service/party the previous week at a church she'd begun attending in the city, but the one in Bunnyburrow... well, as Jordy had proven earlier, it only took one bad wheel to upset the whole apple cart.

Nick apparently was thinking the same thing. "Uh, how are _they_ with foxes?"

Judy bit her lip. "Well, Nick's pretty tired. Maybe he can just stay here?"

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "One crowd of unfamiliar faces is good enough for me."

"You're not coming?" asked Jordy, looking disappointed.

"Just as well," an older member of the Hopps brood remarked. "Between the two of you, you'd probably start a Christmas cookie fight."

Jordy was about to loudly object, but then rememberd what had happened when he'd been allowed to sit with his friends at the previous year's Christmas Eve event. "We _might_ not," he finished rather lamely.

"Anyway," Bonnie went on, "I don't see why not. Stu would be glad for the company, I'm sure."

"Dad's not going?" Judy could hardly believe her ears. If there was one part of Christmas Stu loved, it was the pageant and carols (even though he himself was hopelessly off-key in every number).

"Didn't I tell you? Violet's in bed with the flu..."

"Oh yeah, and Dad drew the short straw." Judy's ears drooped, but then she brightened a little. "Well, what if I stayed with Nick? I can make sure Violet gets her medicine."

Bonnie looked a little uncertain. "Well..."

"I'm up to date on my shots," Judy pressed. The ZPD covered all vaccinations as part of their benefits package. "And I've done it before lots of times. Besides, after all the excitement today, I could use a little down time." When her mother still hesitated, she folded her arms. "Look, the whole thing about Nick and me dating was a joke. Nothing's going to happen while you're out. I promise."

Bonnie nodded. "Well, if your father's okay with it then so am I. Just make sure she takes her medicine at 7, okay? And don't forget..."

Judy lifted a fist with one raised thumb. "Don't worry, Mom. I've been down this road, remember?"

Bonnie smiled. "Of course, dear."

"And I'll be back early to get Nick to the train station," promised Alex.

It wasn't long before, apart from one fluish sister on the third floor, Judy and Nick had the whole house to themselves – starting with the movie room, which had been arrayed with everything from sofas to camping mattresses and beanbag chairs. A very large screen and projector had been set up, and although the room was smaller than a good many others in the house, it still felt plenty roomy.

"So, what now?" asked Nick. "It's a couple of hours to medicine time."

Judy strolled to a DVD cabinet in the corner. "Well, it's Christmas Eve, and in this house you can't have Christmas Eve without... ah, here it is." She emerged with a box. "We missed it before during the fox hunt."

"Har har," Nick laughed sarcastically, coming over to examine Judy's selection. "'It's a Wonderful Life?'"

"Starring Jimmy Stewhare," Judy affirmed. "Ever seen it?"

Nick shook his head, frowning skeptically. "No, but isn't that the one where a dead guy convinces a living guy not to kill himself?"

Judy shook her head, trying to think if she had ever heard anyone give a worse summary of any movie. She couldn't think of one. "Okay, first of all, angels are not dead guys. Second, you are so badly oversimplifying it. It's a great movie." Catching his eyeroll, she added, "I'll bet you a favor you'll be crying by the end."

She sounded pretty confident, but Nick remembered the last time she had agreed to owe him a favor. "Play away," he said, sinking into a couch. If all else failed, he could use the old trick of keeping his eyes wide open so they wouldn't get tearey.

It failed. Spectacularly.

"Kleenex?"

"Please."

Judy sat patiently as Nick dabbed his eyes. Fortunately for her, his own blurred vision prevented him from noticing that her saffron spheres bore some redness of their own.

"Hey, uh, Carrots? I know I owe you a favor now, but would you mind not mentioning...?"

Despite her lack of composure, the bunny managed to fake thinking it over. "Well, I dunno. Taelia would probably..."

Nick looked ill. "Please..."

"But she'd _like_ it. Girls like it when guys cry at movies; it's cute."

"I don't _want_ to be cute," Nick pleaded. His dismay was only amplified by the lingering tears from the movie.

Judy decided she had tortured him enough. "Eh, it's Christmas. Deal."

The moment was rather spoild by Judy's phone buzzing. "Oh, and it's also time for Violet's medicine."

Nick finished rubbing his eyes. "You need any help?"

Judy shook her head. "No, I think I can handle my little sister – especially when she's bedridden with the flu. Why don't you call Taelia and wish her a Merry Christmas? She's probably bored silly without you around to roll her eyes at."

He gave a sarcastic laugh – but, with nothing better to do, he took out his phone and punched in Taelia's number.

Christmas songs, familiar and slow, played through the speakers of an old-model car as Taelia rode back to her parents' house with her parents. She, together with her brother, his wife, and their daughter, had gone the Christmas Eve service at their old church (only the grandparents still went there regularly, due to distance). It had been nice to see old friends – and nicer still that, in a more public setting, she'd been spared the odd teasing from her brother and sister-in-law over the mistletoe. Her purchase of the plants had been something of a dare, and as fond as she was of Nick, she wanted to bide her time. Considering her brother and sister-in-law had married within a yar of their first date, there was obviously a bit of a gap between their way of thinking and hers.

 _Maybe I should have told them the whole story about the incident with Derek,_ she thought to herself. She didn't like to recall the details herself, but that breakup had been enough to teach her that dating someone also meant dating their relatives and friends – and while she had no reason to doubt her standing with Nick's mom, she wanted just a little more certainty on that front before she pushed for any milestones in her relationship with Nick.

 _Besides,_ she thought, _if the signas I've got from him are half what I think they are, I'd rather make our first kiss about something more than a parasitic botanical._

Now all was quiet and restful. Her father was driving, and her mother and niece were in the back seat (Mrs. Stones had become prone to doze off at odd times in her old age, and found the back seat a more comfortable place for it). So Taelia was riding shotgun when her phone chimed out a windchime-ish rendition of 'I Bring You A Song.'

"Hi Nick," she said, picking up with a tired smile. _Thank goodness you called when it was just us four,_ she thought. _And with Rose asleep, too._

She had thought to soon. "Is that Uncle Nick?" asked Rose, who had taken an instant liking to the reynard when he joined the Stones family for Thanksgiving. She was hardly alone in her high view of him, though her expression of it could have stood some... subtlety. The kit had already asked – in Nick's hearing, no less – if Taelia thought Nick was 'a keeper.'

Taelia turned enough to hold a finger up to her muzzle, still keeping an ear to what Nick was saying. He had asked how her Christmas went.

"It was nice," she replied with a smile. "I wish you could have been here."

He smiled. "Me too." It was only half-true, since he had enjoyed his day despite the hassles, but he still felt a little guilty for changing plans on her the way he had. "Good party, though; you would have liked it." _Most of it, anyway,_ he thought to himself.

"Hmm," she mused. "Let me think about that. Fox, who's a guest at a party of rabbits, brings another fox along as a guest to a party he's not hosting. Yeah, that's kind of awkward."

He shrugged. "Good point."

"So what are you up to now?" she wanted to know.

Nick did his best not to yawn. "Oh, not much. Judy talked me into watching a movie, and now she's checking on her sister. Poor kit's in bed with the flu."

"Ohhh." Judging by Taelia's tone, her main feeling at the moment was sympathy for Violet. "So, how was the party?"

Nick considered telling Taelia the sordid details – the fox taser, the Sisters Six, and so on. He decided not to. It had all ended well, and making it sound like a bad day would just make Taelia feel guilty for going along with it. "I guess it was alright – and I've gotta tell you, Judy has got the most rambunctious bunch of siblings you could imagine. Nocomparison to you, but..."

She giggled just a little; Nick seemed to feel a lot more awkward about spending so much time with Judy than either of the ladies felt about it, and it was kind of fun to see himtrip over himself about it. "Well, we have all of tomorrow," she pointed out.

"You should say you love him," whispered Rose from the back seat.

Taelia glanced back at her with a 'You're kidding, right?' look on her face. Then she returned her attention to the phone. "Sorry, what was that?" She thought Nick had said something, but Rose had distracted her. "I had some _interference."_

Nick was trying to bounce ideas off her for New Year's – whether to celebrate it with a friend or two at his place, her place, or a night club.

"Oh, I meant to tell you we're both invited to Xavier and Isabelle's place that night."

"New Year's?" pressed Rose. "Are you going to- mmp!"

Mrs Wilde had woken up, and came to her daughter's rescue with a mitten shoved firmly over the kit's muzzle. "Go ahead, dear," she whispered.

Taelia smiled thankfully. "Tell you what: why don't we talk about it tomorrow when we get together?"

On the other end, Nick shrugged. "Works for me. I guess this is goodnight?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Goodnight."

"Merry Christmas."

She blushed a little, wondering if it had been her imagination – with some help from Rose – or if there had been something in Nick's tone of voice. "Merry Christmas."

They ended the call, and Nick sank back into the velvet couch cover. He didn't stay that way long, though, when Judy walked in – with her ears drooping. "Trouble?" he asked, starting to get up.

She raised a paw. "It's okay. I just need something to pry Violet's mouth open."

Nick frowned. "She's that stubborn about it?"

"Yep. For a bunny with the flu, she's got a pretty strong jaw. I even tried pinching her nose, but she just pulls loose every time."

Nick got up, not sure what good he'd be at this sort of thing but feeling the need to do _something._ "Have you tried sweet-talking her into taking it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure if even Santa Claws could charm... her into..." she trailed off and turned to him with a grin on her face.

"Okay," he told her before she could speak. "Just from the look on your face, I'm worried."

Her ears drooped down again. "You owe me," she pointed out, not bothering to inject any plaintiveness into her voice. The body language would do the job just fine.

He sighed. "What do you need?"

Judy did her best to hide her satisfaction as she led him to one of the house's many storage rooms. _Works every time,_ she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, Judy returned to Violet's room armed with a spoon and the bottle. "Violet," she said softly, pleadingly, "I know you're sick, and tired, but you need to take this."

"I don't want to," Violet insisted.

Judy knelt by the bed and filled the spoon. "Come on. If you pinch your nose you won't taste it so much."

"It's gross," Violet said before clamping her mouth firmly shut.

"Well..." Judy paused as if stifling a yawn. "Well, it's better..." Then she did yawn. "...better than... having... the... fluuuu..."

She dropped the bottle on the bed and slumped, then slid to the floor, breathing slowly.

"Judy?!" asked Violet, sitting up in bed. "What's wrong?"

The bunny's confusion turned to fright when the door slowly creaked open and a tall, fat figure walked in. In the dim light, Violet caught a glimpse of a long, tapered snout. Weak and fog-headed though she was, she snatched up her stuffed carrot and held it like a big, floppy baseball bat. "Get away!" she shouted.

The figure raised his paws. "Hey, hey, it's okay kid. Don't you know who I am? Here, let me fix that."

He pointed at the nightlight on the table, and almost at once it dimmed. "Oops," the stranger chuckled. "Wrong way."

The light brightened now, mystifying Violet. She couldn't see Judy's paw reaching out to manipulate the dimmer switch built into the cord. She stared gaping at the light, then turned to the visitor and gaped even wider, dropping the stuffed carrot.

"Santa?" she asked.

"Hey Violet," Nick grinned. He walked into the room and crouched next to the bed, gently moving Judy to one side. "Don't worry about Ca- uh, Judy," he reassured Violet, amending as Judy winced at the nickname, then went limp again lest Violet see her. "Grown-ups aren't supposed to see me, so she's sleeping for a bit. She'll be up and about soon."

Violet stared him up and down, shock turning to confusion. "Why are you a fox? This is Bunnyburrow."

"I know," he answered. "The thing is, I heard that your family was really, really nice, so I decided to come and check it out for myself. And I thought, 'Hey, any rabbit's going to be nice to another rabbit; let's see how nice they are to a fox.'"

"Ohhh." Violet saw the sense in that. "Were they nice to you?"

"Yes. Very, very nice. They're not so happy about you being sick, though, so because they were so nice, I wanted to do something nice for them – and for you."

Violet smiled. "Are you going to make me all better?"

Nick laughed. "I don't do miracles," he told her, picking up the bottle, "but it looks like you've got everything you need right here."

"But I hate that stuff," Violet protested. "It tastes awful."

"I know, I've had to take it myself," Nick admitted, his act slipping for a moment. Then he caught himself. "But you know, I'm sure I would take it if your sister asked me to."

"You would?"

"You bet I would. Judy's way up there on the Nice list, so I know she'd only ask me to do something if it was good. Will you take the medicine for her?"

Violet thought about that. "Mommy and Daddy told me never to take medicine from strangers."

Nick wanted to smack himself in the forehead, but he laughed it off. "You know what?" he asked. "You're a smart bunny. I'll tell you what: I'll walk out of here, and in a minute or two Judy will wake up with no idea what happened – and then she'll give you the medicine. Okay?"

Violet smiled. "Okay."

Nick picked up the carrot, handed it to Violet, and patted her head. "Be good now," he told her.

"Santa?" she asked as he left.

"Hm?" he paused, turning.

"Will you kiss me goodnight?"

Nick paused, then shrugged. "Sure." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight Violet."

"Goodnight Santa."

Judy dimmed the light as Nick left, then lay feigning sleep for another minute or two before she sat up rubbing her eyes. "Ohhh," she yawned, "what happened?"

Violet thought about telling Judy that Santa had been there, then decided it would be more fun to make it a secret. "You were going to give me my medicine," she answered.

"Goodness," Judy said, feigning surprise, "you mean you _want_ to take it?"

Violet shrugged. "Not really," she admitted, "but it's better than staying sick."

Judy had to stifle a laugh as she gave Violet the syrup, kissed her goodnight, and slipped out the door to where Nick sat at the top of the stairs. She hugged him. "You were great," she told him.

He yawned. "Thanks," he answered. Then, a little dismally, he added, "Glad working the late shift did something. I'm going to be a wreck tomorrow taking Taelia to Mom's."

Judy smiled. "You've still got time to sleep, and I think she'll understand – especially after I send her this."

He looked at her, then at the iCarrot she was holding up. On the screen was a sound recording app. For a moment Nick balked at the thought, then shrugged. "You know, I'm okay with that."

She smiled and elbowed him. "Come on. You can zonk out on the sofa until everyone gets back." As she lead him down the stairs, she added, "By the way, just my opinion: you and Taelia need to have pups someday."

"What?!" The comment came so much out of left field that Nick didn't know how to process it.

She elbowed him again. "After what I saw tonight, I think you'd make a great dad."

Nick blushed, and Judy again stifled a laugh. "By the way," she added, "what's that on your forehead?"

"Oh, like I'm going to fall for that?"

"No, really. The fur on your forehead looks funny."

Nick touched the area in question and found that a small area of fuzz was caked with something sticky. It took him a moment to realize what it was. "Oh, it must be from walking into the – uh, I mean..."

Judy started to giggle again. "Let me guess. Mistletoe?"

Nick grew red under his fur. "Please don't tell me I've had mistletoe juice up there all this time and no one mentioned it."

"Actually it's more like sap than juice," Judy pointed out. "At least I think so. And I didn't want to embarrass you."

Nick was about to say that there wasn't much dignity in having a sticky forehead and not knowing it, but he caught a look on Judy's face. "Let the record show I paid up the favor I owed you," he warned.

She shook her head. "Relax. All I need for this one is a boost."

Nick had fallen asleep on a couch in a little side room by the time everyone got home. Judy had chosen the location to dodge the initial wave of those who were still bursting with energy, so it wasn't until the second wave – tired elders and siblings-in-law carting in even more fatigued kits – that Bonnie and Stu Hopps found them, courtesy of a text from Judy.

"I just checked in on Violet," Bonnie reported. "How did things go?"

Judy smiled. "Perfectly." She filled them in on Nick's little acting job, and even played back the recording – or most of it, anyway. They were in awe by the time it got around to her giving Violet the medicine.

"Gotta admit I was skeptical," said Stu, "but Judy, feel free to bring that fox back here anytime."

She smiled. "Will do." Then she yawned and stretched. "Well, I think I'll go turn in. Alex is staking Nick back to the train station, right?"

"Right."

"Okay. I'll get him the presents I picked out and then go to bed."

As Judy walked off, Stu remembered something. "Bonnie, did you take down the mistletoe we had hanging in the front hall?"

"No, I didn't do anything with it. Is it gone?"

"Well I wouldn't have asked if you took it down when it was still up there."

Bonnie shrugged. "Oh, it was probably one of the kits."

They later found it... tacked above the door to their room. Hanging from it was a note: 'Merry Christmas from Nick and Judy.'

"Like we need the excuse?" chuckled Stu, planting one on his wife's lips.

Snow drifted down around the car as Alex drove Nick back to the train station. "Couldn't help overhearing what you did for Violet," the buck remarked. "Thanks."

Nick chuckled. "Gotta admit, it was kind of fun."

There was a brief silence before Alex spoke again. "I was wondering if you'd be up to doing me – and Mom and Dad – a little favor."

The fox raised an eyebrow. "After all you put me through," he asked warily, "You expect me to help you?"

Alex smiled. "More or less. Look at it this way. You know how effective _I_ can be working with Judy to put one over on _you._ Would you prefer that arrangement, or having me as an _ally..._?"

Nick paused to mull that over. "I'm listening."

 **Uh-oh. What are the guys plotting now? Well, one chapter left to go. Stay tuned!**

 **In case anyone was wondering, Taelia's okay with Judy bringing Nick to her family's party with the understanding that it's not a date. I don't know if she knew about Judy's scheme to fake out her parents, but that's another story.**

 **Special thanks to BeecroftA, who suggested "It's A Wonderful Life."**

 **To Kyla: Wait no longer – and you probably got this one. "Sisters Six" is a play on "Sinister Six," from the Spider-Man franchise.**

" **Love Gives," the Christmas 2016 chapter of "What's Love Anyway?" is now posted – and if anyone out there thinks they're tough, I challenge them to read it out loud without crying.**

 **Easter Eggs in this chapter reference:**

 **Princess Bride**

 **Lost Tapes**

 **Balto**

 **Ben 10**

 **Calvin and Hobbes**

 **Lilo and Stitch**

 **See how many you can spot!**

 **As always, please review, fave, and follow!**


	4. Christmas Day

So now we come to the final chapter. Has it been fun? Yes, yes it has. Am I going to try something like it again? Not in this lifetime! Lol Not entirely accurate, actually; I would be open to revisiting this story and making it a proper sequel to Something Stinks (I've pretty much decided not to do so for a number of reasons), but I'm not going to do any more Christmas stories unless they are finished – or as good as finished – before December rolls around. Doing so this time made it too difficult to give it the time and attention to quality I wanted, especially with the inclusion of weekly deadlines. None the less, I had fun working on it and hearing all your feedback.

Although this is not a sequel as such, there are some things I have omitted because I would have orrowed them from my plans for the rest of SS. My apologies for any lack of clarity this may cause.

That said, enjoy!

 **The Baron then offered a holiday toast**

 **And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host.**

 **Then with a roar, they were both on their way,**

 **Each knowing they'd meet on some other day.**

 _ **Snoopy's Christmas**_

The next morning found Nick at Taelia's apartment door at 9:30 sharp. For all his other faults, there was one thing to be said in his favor: when a vixen was involved, you could set a watch by his timing. The fact that he had slept most of the way to the train station, and then most of the train ride back to the city, had been helpful.

Taelia, on the other hand, was not exactly a morning mammal, though she made a point to put a good face on it. Nick's knock caught her fine-tuning her clothes. She had reserved a red and green sweater over a mid-calf dress a few shades lighter than eggnog for the occasion, and was trying different necklaces with the combination. She had already tried and dismissed several charm necklaces and a few sets of clip-on earrings, when Nick knocked at the door.

"Oh! Coming!" she called, taking one last look at the little metallic wreathe on a sterling chain around her neck. She took it off and traded it for one with a green chain and a number of lightbulb charms. _Hmm, a little tacky,_ she thought, _but I like it._ She had been on pins and needles about meeting Mrs. Wilde, but her sister-in-law had urged her the day before to relax.

'Just be yourself,' she had said. 'It's her son you're dating, not her.'

She had laughed at that. 'Yeah, that would be awkward on a couple of levels.'

The truth was, she was pretty much always reserved when it came to meeting new mammals – especially someone important to someone she was dating. It wasn't a rational unease, but then if she were totally rational she wouldn't have pursued a career as artistic as music. Ninety percent of her life was learning to roll with weirdness, including her own.

Deciding that the necklace and one or two bangles on her wrist would do, she guzzled down the rest of her morning cup of coffee, then stopped in the bathroom to shoot some breath spray into her mouth. Ten seconds later, she was opening the door.

"Hey," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey," he greeted in reply. "You ready?"

She took Nick's offered elbow, and they headed out to his car. "As I'll ever be," she answered with more cheer than the phrase would normally carry.

Nick glanced at his girlfriend as he started the engine. "You're a little nervous, considering you're just meeting my mom." He would have introduced the ladies sooner, but his hectic schedule with the academy had left few chances to even see them individually, let alone together.

She shrugged. "Well, butterflies in the stomach are equal-opportunity."

"You had butterflies for breakfast?" He glanced at her and chuckled when she gave a mock scowl. "Relax. My mom's liked you practically since she heard I had a girlfriend, period. You two have a ridiculous amount in common, trust me. You'll get along great."

 _'Trust me.'_ Taelia didn't care to count the times she'd been duped by those words from a guy, but Nick... well, Nick was different. She had no doubt of that, especially not after seeing all his snapshots and updates from the academy. She shrugged.

"I trust you."

They soon arrived at a condo in an area mostly geared toward smaller mammals. It wasn't the best of neighborhoods, but the Christmas decorations mingled in with window boxes and the odd 'Welcome' banner dressed it up well.

Nick took a deep breath through his nose as they reached the little rental home in question, then let it out with a contented sigh. He'd lived in some places that were decent, or at least interesting, but there was nothing like returning to his roots.

Taelia started to get out, then paused as Nick darted around to get the door for her. She raised one eyebrow and smiled wryly.

"Do you think your mom might be watching," she asked, "or are you just feeling extra chivalrous today?"

He shrugged. "I'm not telling," he teased.

She elbowed him, then followed him around to the trunk. The house was a design she'd seen before on a fiar number of occasions: divided vertically in fourths (more or less), so that each apartment had an upstairs and a downstairs. Nick's mom had the apartment at the back right-hand corner from the road. They retrieved the gifts they had brought, including three extra for Nick to carry, and made for the door.

"Something from Judy?" asked Taelia, noting three small packages decorated with carrot-patterned gift wrap.

Nick nodded. "One for each of us."

Taelia smirked. "Well, the plot thickens."

Paws full, Nick slipped his nose under the door knocker and let it fall back with a clack.

"Nick!" called a voice from within, and a moment later the door opened to reveal an older vixen – a little past middle age, but still lively in Taelia's estimation – wearing glasses, a pine green sweater, and blue jeans. "Come in, come in," she urged. She gestured to a table just inside the door. "Put those down so I can give you a hug."

Nick did so, unconsciously sighing a little as he pulled his mother in. It was true what they said: there was simply no place like home.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Taelia," he added, removing onearm to slip it behind his girlfriend.

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Wilde smiled, turning to hug the younger vixen.

Taelia was a little surprised, but returned the favor. Nick's mom was pretty strong for her age. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Wild."

"Merry Christmas, and please call me Marian," the older vixen replied, drawing back from the hug and clasping Taelia's paws for a moment. "Nick has told me so much about you. Well, come on in. The main course is still going, but I have some appetizers ready. You can hang your sweater right over there if you like. It's so warm in here, you'll roast."

Taelia accepted the offer, revealing that her dress under the sweater was adorned with a pattern of blue rhinestones (a touch from the band's resident 'fairy godmother,' Isabelle).

"My, what a lovely dress," Marian exclaimed, putting a hand on her chest. She glanced at Nick with a smirk. "You've got your father's taste, Nicholas."

Both of them blushed, but mostly Taelia. "Thank you."

Mrs. Wilde led them to a room which was half-kitchen, half-linoleum, with a little bit of counter separating the linoleum food zone from the carpeted social zone. On the counter sat a pot of coffee, a couple of bottles of different creamers, a ceramic sugar jar, and an assortment of little Christmas figurines. In the living room part stood a charming Christmas tree trimmed not only with the usual store-bought décor, but also a number of hand-made ornaments; colored paper cutouts on hooks, glued-together felt creations, and comically lopsided figurines made from pine cones. Nick remembered – and Taelia guessed – that many of these harkened back to the tod's pup days.

 _She kept them after all these years,_ thought Nick.

Also in the living room – in a different corner – was a cluster of chairs in one corner which were in good repair and tastefully decorated. Taelia thought she noticed a patch peeking out from under the hand-made throw cover on one of them, but she politely ignored that and sat down. The two younger foxes helped themselves to a few Christmas cookies, fried crickets, and – to Taelia's delight – a shrimp platter. It wasn't big, since Nick's mom didn't get very big paychecks, but it was the thought that mattered. Nick had obviously told his mom that Taelia loved seafood. Taelia had already had coffee, but when Mrs. Wilde offered she accepted a small cup anyway, saying she was trying to go easy on the caffeine.

"I'm sure Mom will want your thoughts on the coffee as a taste expert," Nick added with his usual wry grin, leaving Taelia to wonder if there was an inside joke or if Nick was just being Nick.

"Oh, it's nothing so special as that," Mrs. Wilde replied, taking a seat.

Taelia took a sip, and her mouth woke up the way the rest of her used to when it was the first day of Christmas break from school.

"Mmm," she murmured before swallowing. "I dont know about 'nothing special,' Mrs... uh, Marian. "Do you work for Snarlbucks?"

"No, I actually mostly do piano lessons," Marian replied.

" _And_ she has a cookbook on the market," Nick bragged.

Marian gave her a look that was half, 'Must you?' and half, 'Thank you.' "Hardly what I'd call a best-seller," she replied, "but yes."

"So what's the recipe for the coffee?" asked Taelia.

Marian shrugged. "Something I came up with one morning when I got bored. All it takes is putting some cinnamon, nutmeg, and a squirt of vanilla in with the coffee grounds before brewing."

Taelia filed the recipe away in her mind. Nick was right; she and Mrs. Wilde did have quite a bit in common.

"In the fall she dehydrates cubed pumpkin and throws that in instead of the cinnamon and vanill-" Nick went on, stopping only when his mother deftly slipped a Christmas cookie into his mouth.

"Nick Wilde, you're making me blush," she remonstrated playfully.

Taelia just laughed. _Food guru_ and _takes the natural approach,_ she thought to herself. That was two for two; she liked it organic herself.

The three of them made polite conversation about this, that, and the other thing, snacking and paying no particular heed to the passing time, until Nick asked if they wanted to open the presents.

"Oh, of course," Marian agreed. "Just a minute. I've got yours upstairs. I'll be right back."

"Would you like some help?" asked Taelia, getting up.

The offer was declined. "They're not heavy, and I'm not _that_ old."

Taelia was about to apologize for suggesting that Mrs. Wilde was old, but a wink from Nick stopped her. "She teases," he whispered. "Just like you."

"You're just surrounded by ladies who like to do that," Taelia remarked, thinking about the bunny who had put them in touch.

He shrugged. "It's my curse."

Marian's gift to Taelia came with a hand-written card which read, in flowing cursive, ' _Merry Christmas. I hope you and Nick have a wonderful relationship. Here's something to keep it warm.'_

Taelia wasn't sure what to expect, but laughed when she found it was an advance copy of Marian's _second_ cookbook – something even Nick hadn't known about.

"Nick mentioned you like to try new recipes," Marian explained.

Taelia noticed a bookmark and opened it to that page. Her eyes fell on the first recipe. "Wrath of God Hot Sauce?" she asked.

Marian snickered. "I understand the two of you have a history with hot sauce."

The remark took a moment to sink in. Then Nick's expression dropped in shock. "How did you...?" he gaped, but then the obvious struck him. _Like Dad always used to say,_ he thought. _The fastest way to get something around isn't telephone; it's tell-a-female._

Taelia laughed. "Oh, I'll be _sure_ to try this one on Nick sometime," she grinned. Then she brought out her own gift for Marian. In her own tidy print, it read, 'With a tod like Nick, you probably need this. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.'

Marian smiled as she extracted a thick, soft bath robe, a bottle of vanilla scent, and a custom CD of some of the calmer songs produced by Taelia's band, _Vixen_.

"Kind of a relaxation package," Taelia explained.

Marian laughed. "You're right. I _do_ need these."

"Oh, there's one more thing," Taelia added, pulling something out of the bag she had brought.

This present, unmarked by a card, contained a reversible picture frame. The immediate image was of Taelia and Nick at an amusement park – he in his usual off-style attire, and she in a T-shirt and jeans. When Mrs. Wilde turned the picture around, she laughed. It was a shot of Nick, bleary-eyed and as rumpled as they came, dressed in a tank top and heart-patterned pajama bottoms.

"That one's a combo gift from me and Judy," Taelia explained as Nick buried his face in one paw. "She supplied the photo. I kept him out late with a horror movie marathon and espresso coffee."

Nick groaned. "You and Judy," he lamented, "are _the strongest_ argument against polygamy."

Marian laughed. "You remember that, Nick," she beamed.

Then it was Nick's turn. Mrs. Wilde hadn't been sure what to get him, but after much consideration she had gotten him an old-fashioned locket – containing a shrunken photograph of their family back when... well, when John Wilde was still around.

"I know it's not the most macho thing to wear," Marian admitted, "but I honestly couldn't think of anything more..."

Nick raised one paw and wiped a tear away with the other. "I'll never leave home without it," he promised. Then, more brightly, he added, "I'll just wear it so it looks like a pocket watch. Those things sometimes stop bullets."

Marian's eyes popped. "I hope you aren't planning to test that," she scolded.

Nick opted to save his present for his mom until last, so next came his gift for Tealia: the latest model of iPaw.

"Nick!" gasped the vixen. "How on earth did you _get_ one of these? Mousey's had a waiting list for them, and they cost...!"

He just laughed and shrugged. "It was a steal," he replied casually.

Both vixens gave him 'the look.' He shrank.

"Not _that_ kind of steal," he added. Reinflating, he explained, "I know someone at the local office for Grapple products. He got me a good price, that's all."

Taelia looked satisfied. "Well, I guess it's my turn." Reaching into her gift bag, she pulled out a wide, flat box. "This might actually go nicely with your mom's present," she remarked.

He read the card, which was a playful message 'to the handsomest reynard in last year's colors,' and opened the box. Inside, neatly folded and pressed, was a blue dress shirt and red tie.

"Good luck with that," chortled Marian. "I've been trying to get him to dress properly since he was a cub."

It was Nick's turn to laugh when he pulled out the shirt and tie – only to find a giraffe-patterned tie underneath lying atop a Pawaiian shirt that made his usual ones look monochromatic. Odd brightly colored patches of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple were scattered across a base of light and dark greens as if someone had sneezed while filling a jar of potpourri.

"Ha ha, now _this_ goes with the locket," he laughed, picturing the latter item hanging down the front of the shirt like gangster bling on a sunny day. "Thanks, Tal. Thanks a lot. You sure you and Mom didn't plan this somehow?"

Both ladies shook their heads. "Christmas miracle, I guess," Marian remarked. "You finally have an outfit that doesn't clash."

Nick studied the pants, thinking of how to turn that remark around. His mother had often pressured him to dress so mammals would take him more seriously in the past, though this time it sounded more like just play.

"I've got some camouflage cargo pants at home," he replied cooly.

Taelia rolled her eyes toward Marian. "So he does it to you too?"

Marian smiled appreciatively, then glanced at the extra bag Nick had brought. "So, do I get whatever it is you brought me before or after those gifts over there?"

"Oh, right." Nick reached for the bag and pulled it near.. "Judy sent a few things. Let's see; this one's for you, Mom. This one's for Taelia, and this one's mine."

"Oh, how thoughtful," Marian smiled.

"Well, go ahead and open yours," Mrs. Wilde urged.

Nick hesitated. Judy had advised him to open his gift first, then have Taelia open hers, and finally have his mom open hers. It was an odd request (and kind of rude for him to pass on, he thought), and reminded him that Christmas Eve was over. Pranks were back in season.

"No," he said, acting like nothing was wrong. "You open first, Mom."

"Yeah, it's your house," agreed Taelia.

Marian shrugged. "Well, alright." She read the card – a typical Christmas greeting with a hand-written add-on that she had an amazing son – and then unwrapped the box. In the top there was a bumper sticker saying, 'My Son is a Graduate of Zootopia Police Academy.'

"'I know he's not a grad yet,'" she read off the backing paper, "'but he'll make it. Merry Christmas.' That is so sweet," she smiled. "You should have asked her to come too."

Nick shrugged, acting relaxed. "It came up, but she decided to stick with her family for another day or two." _Possibly to keep her distance,_ he mentally added, noting that the bumper sticker had come along with a camera. Specifically, a camera with a sticky note attached: 'Ready to go. Click once for photos, hold for video.'

"You next," Mrs. Wilde urged Taelia.

Taelia read the card. This one's hand-written note read, 'Thanks for letting me borrow Nick. I owe you one.' When she opened the box, she blushed. "Uh, I think she got my gift confused with someone else's," she said, covering it up.

"Why, what is it?" asked Nick, leaning over to get a peek. With a little effort, he managed to pry her paws away. Then he too blushed. Inside was a very nice hat – decorated with a sprig of mistletoe.

 _And Mom here with a camera,_ he thought, seeing the pieces click into place: a strategic selection of presents, with a side of reverse psychology to make sure they were opened in just the right order. _Touche, Carrots. Well played._

"Well, go ahead," Marian urged, holding up the camera. "Let's see how it looks."

The pair stared at the hat uneasily. _Carrots,_ thought Nick, _this is low even for you._

Inside, Taelia couldn't escape the irony. She had been so worried about pressing forward with Nick, and now here she was, caught at camera-point, in front of his mom.

On the other paw, Mrs. Wilde seemed to approve wholeheartedly. Hadn't that been the main concern on her mind?

"Tell you what," she said, grasping the sprig. The stitches holding it to the hat were of light thread and none too thorough, coming loose with hardly any effort. She set the plant aside and popped the hat on. Then she turned her face to the camera and tapped her cheek.

Nick blushed, but he followed through.

"Your turn, Nick," Taelia urged, blushing a little herself. She just hoped they could avoid cameras when the new year rolled in.

Nick hesitated. If Judy had planned this out that well, she'd probably also planned on his gift being the _coup de gras._ "Uh, isn't dinner about ready?"

"Come on," Taelia persisted. Mrs. Wilde's encouraging smile didn't help much. With great hesitation Nick read his card: "To old memories; Love, Judy," and opened the package to find...

Another box. On the top was written another note.

"In case you're wondering, I did not mix up your gift."

 _That can't be good._ Worse, with the eyes of the two vixens on him, he couldn't back out now. He took out the smaller box and lifted the lid.

A small mound of white fluff pushed its way up, and with some confusion Nick pulled it out. A dawning recognition came over him as he realized what it was: a wig... made for a sheep. Attached was a tag reading, 'Soooo fluffy.'

 _Sly bunny,_ he conceded mentally.

The sheep wig distracted everyone from that one last gift for Nick's mom, but it actually wasn't so bad once he explained the back story – and let the vixens see what it felt like. He even laughingly suggested (over Christmas dinner) that he might wear it for the New Year's Eve party.

Just when it seemed like all the day's gags had subsided, Taelia got an e-mail from Judy on her phone with a sound file attached.

"'One more Christmas present. I think Marian will like it.'"

At first Nick was worried, but then he smiled. "Oh, you'll both like this," he promised.

His smile stayed all the way through the audio of his stint the night before. _Perfecto,_ he thought. Okay, so Taelia already knew he was good with kids – which, according to her neice, was at the top of her list – but it was nice to see the vixen's heart melting like butter as the whole thing unfolded. Mrs. Wilde, meanwhile, was rubbing at her eyes, prompting her son to discreetly slip her a handkerchief.

It was going too well to last.

" _By the way... you and Taelia need to have pups someday."_

Marian's eyes grew wide. Nick and Taelia adopted matching expressions of shock.

 _No!_ thought Nick.

" _After what I saw tonight, I think you'd make a great dad."_

"O-kay, that's enough warm fuzzies for now," Nick broke in, reaching to turn off the phone. Instead he accidentally knocked it from Taelia's shocked paw. It didn't break when it landed, but the next part – evidently spliced in by Judy after the fact – had enough time to play.

" _Merry Christmas, Junior Detective. Truce is off."_

The recording ended, leaving awkward silence in the apartment. Taelia was the first to find her voice.

"Mrs. Wilde, I promise you Nick and I are _not-"_

Marilyn raised a paw. "Just get married first. That's all I ask."

Back in Bunnyburrow, Judy was in her room smiling contentedly to herself. Nick would probably put salt in her coffee at the next opportunity, and she could probably forget about talking Taelia into another girls' night out for a while, but it had been so, _so_ very worth it.

"Do you always do this to your friends?"

She looked up to see Alex, who had evidently overheard her check the recording through the open doorway. His arms were folded, and he had a smirk on his face as if he had been the prankster.

"Oh, they'll get over it," she smiled.

Alex continued on his way, still grinning – but not over Judy's stunt.

 **Flashback**

 _Look at it this way. You know how effective_ I _can be working with Judy to put one over on_ you _. Would you prefer that arrangement, or having me as an_ ally...? _"_

 _Nick paused to mull that over. "I'm listening."_

 _Alex smiled contentedly. "Well, you know Mom and Dad worry about Judy – big city, dangerous high-profile job, strange mammals..."_

 _The fox raised one eyebrow. "Just them?"_

 _This was met with a snort from the buck. "I know how good she is at taking care of herself. All the same, since you two are friends,_ and _you'll be working together,_ and _you've got a little more experience with troublemakers..." he paused. "Could I tell Mom and Dad that you'll be – shall we say 'screening' – any guys you spot checking her out?"_

 **Present**

The buck snickered to himself. After a prank like that, Nick would be pursuing that little arrangement with a whole new level of gusto.

 **So there you have it: the conclusion of Christmas in Bunnyburrow (though I may follow up with some bonus material afterward).**

 **To respond to the Guest review on chapter three, I appreciate the encouragement and hope you take a look at _Something Stinks,_ which will cover the "nice vixen" in a lot more detail (no promises on her and Nick ending up together for keeps, though). Again, because I had to throw this together in a hurry, I've made up my mind not to treat it as contiguous with SS due to continuity issues. All character revelations will stay (e.g. that Taelia has a niece and Nick's mom gives piano lessons), but everything else is up for guesswork again (but if a buck takes an interest in Judy, I do promise Nick will give him a hard time).**

 **Merry Christmas!** **As always, please review, fave, and follow!**


	5. Author's Note

My thanks to all the readers who have shown such keen interest so far in my stories, "Something Stinks" and "Christmas in Bunnyburrow." I was rather surprised at some of the feedback I got, particularly as some readers seemed outright desperate to know whether Nick will end up with Judy or with my OC, Taelia. With that in mind, I thought I'd explain a few things. I won't tell you all everything because that would be too much information, but hopefully this will let all my readers get more from present and future works of mine.

Like Zootopia itself, my material covers a wide range of themes. You will notice that neither of my stories so far is listed in the "Romance" category. That's because, while they do involve romance, that's not really the main point. In fact, now that I think of it, it's not really even the main point of the romantic parts. At its heart, this is a story about developing the characters (with Nick being a particular focus, I think). A lot of people would like to know the ultimate answer: will Nick marry Judy or Tealia? The truth is, I mean to focus on how he - a guy who has lived most of his life on emotional distance and glib dishonesty - is going to make a relationship work, period. I'm not saying that I don't like Nick, but I think a lot of ship fics out there focus on warm fuzzies and gloss over or even fly right in the face of what's really necessary to a stable relationship, so I'm working on turning that around.

I have been advised by one or two quite outstanding writers in their own genres to refrain from teasing about whom Nick will ultimately choose. After careful consideration on the pros and cons of that recommendation, I've decided to stop deliberately teasing - that is, playing such tricks as bait-and-switch. However, I do not think it would suit the purposes of the story, such as those aforementioned, to give the answer directly, and like most stories (especially mysteries), a certain degree of uncertainty is necessary. So while I won't give out more spoilers than I have to, I will try to stop dangling answers and then pulling them away. Hopefully, this will make it a little easier to put up with the waiting. Focus on the characters; watch their lives unfold, consider the cases and hurdles they're up against, and just enjoy the ride. The only thing I can promise is a lot more loops in this coaster.

Read on, and sit tight!

P.S. I realize I've forgotten to give the answers to the Easter Eggs in this story, so I'll get on that next.


	6. Easter Egg Hunt Answers (Finally!)

**Well, as Nick would say, I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached to my neck. My deepest apologies to everyone for taking so long to get to this, but here - at long last - are the answers to the Easter Egg hunt in this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

This wasn't really listed as an Easter Egg, but the Sisters Six - as pretty much everyone guessed - are a nod to the Sinister Six present in most incarnations of the _Spider-Man_ storyline. Spidey's counterpart in the world of Zootopia could be Spider-Ham (a pig-based bit of self-parody by Marvel), or Spider-Fox (Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps can explain that one, having done a fanfic based on a fan comic of the idea). Take your pick, but I doubt either would be complete without some version of the Sinister Six.

 **Chapter Two**

"It was hardly unheard of for Judy's 'May have a problem" to equal someone else's, 'the living room rug is on fire.'" This is a nod to one of Marty's lines in _Back to the Future._

"Nick suppressed the urge to ask if they had a duplicator box in the house." This is a reference to a bit from the _Calvin and Hobbes_ collection,  Scientific Progress Goes Boink \- the same bit, in fact, that gave me the idea for the trick it involves.

"Run for it, Marcie!" I was thinking of the line "Run for it, Marty!" from _Back to the Future,_ though I suspect that this was a little too subtle since no one got it.

The name "Runo," also used in the Sisters' Six stunt, was borrowed from a _Bakugan_ character - who, if she had appeared in the Zootopia universe, could very easily have been Judy's sister.

Cinder/Cindy is a nod to Cynder from _The Legend of Spyro._

Jordy's superhero costume and method of attack are based on the Pokemon called Electabuzz. I thought it would be fun if Zootopia's pop culture (movies and such) had certain Pokemon in humanoid form as superheroes.

Sisters Six has already been explained.

Funnily enough, I can't find the Magic Schoolbus reference here.

 **Chapter Three**

"We start relaxing them (the rules), and then it's nothing but work, work, work." This is a nod to a line from Wesley/The Dread Pirate Roberts in _The Princess Bride._

The show Jordy mentions involving polymorphs is a reference to the series _Lost Tapes_ , specifically the episode _Werewolf_. Do not watch if you have an aversion to blood or have an overactive imagination.

'Judy was outraged. So was the doe in charge. "That did it. Who did that?!" This line was borrowed from a scene in Balto where Boris, like Nick, was flattened by a snowball out of the blue.

"I am warning you... you're messing with an old pro." USA Patriot nailed the _Ben 10_ reference, when Nick quotes the line Grandpa Max used in the Christmas episode just after he too was pegged with a snowball.

The line about 'Christmas songs, familiar and slow' is paraphrased from a _Calvin and Hobbes_ Christmas poem (I forget the title).

Nick's second-to-last line in the chapter is a reference to _Lilo and Stitch_

"Nick had left the door ajar, knowing that one should never shut themselves up in a closet." Kudos to Kyla/RogueActive for spotting one I forgot to mention. Yes, this is a nod to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - and basic common sense. Getting stuck in a wardrobe isn't fun, believe me.

 **Chapter Four**

I have no list of Easter Eggs for Chapter Four, although I could mention here that Marian Wilde (yes, as in Maid Marian) is loosely based on Aunt May as seen in the _Spider-Man_ trilogy and _Spectacular Spider-Man._ With the way my brain works, though, I probably slipped some in there without even thinking about it. Good luck.

* * *

 **Well, that's it for _Christmas in Bunnyburrow._ My thanks to everyone who read this story, and I hope you'll check out my other works as well. _Zootopia_ has given me a number of ideas, so it looks as if I'll be cranking out stories for a long time to come.**

 **As an added bonus, here's a heads-up: I have been working for some time now on a series of fantasy novels (the first is being looked at now), some of which involve anthros. It's not quite _Zootopia,_ but if I can sort out the copyright concerns I hope to tack teasers from my anthro stories onto the ends of my future _Zootopia_ fanfics. So stay tuned!**


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